1.30.2009

Two great female fronted doses of fuzzed pop this week in the form of Seattle's Blank It's and Brooklyn's Golden Triangle.

Blank It's - Windows Are Dirty 7" Burying the vocals under a crush of guitar fizz without ever losing their great sense for pop, Blank It's churn alienation into fun on this 7". Both tracks have a great energy that bursts way beyond the recording limitations in a blur of driving, kicking, twisting

fists and feet. This could be the start of something if the band can pull it out for the long haul.

Golden Triangle - Prize Fighter 7" Golden Triangle have been making the rounds live (currently opening for King Khan) and the reasons become clear on a track like "Prize Fighter" with its dragstrip guitar and chirpy female vocals that shout along while the band seethes with a gritty energy.

"Night Brigade" lacks some of the energy of the other two on this one, but when the band does get pumping, all bets are off. The band has a 12" scheduled on Kemado imprint Mexican Summer so that'll serve as a true test of longevity for them but from the sounds of things that'll definitely be one to watch out for.

Matteah Baim

Ex-Metallic Falcon Matteah Baim has released her second solo album, again falling in with good company at DiChristina Stairbuilders. The feelings are more expansive than her first album, however Laughing Boy still centers around the essentially sparse sonic palate that Baim has employed in the past. On her first album dry winds parched the isolated climate of Baim's musical world, punctuated only slightly by the charred strains of her guitar marking the hillsides. Here she plays more with layered vocals and a smattering of mournful strings and scattered percussion. These additions may stem from the fact that as with Desert Doughnuts Baim brings in several friends to help. The album features collaborations from Pit er Pat's Butchy Fuego, modern renaissance man Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Robert A.A. Lowe and Rose Lazar amongst others. Laughing Boy shows a marked difference in the scope of Baim's songwriting and repeated listens find it much more engaging than her first album. If nothing else much can be said for the company of friends.

1.29.2009

Tim Hecker

Tim Hecker is constantly bringing a sense of menace to the ranks of ambient electronics and there's plenty of that to be had here. Though An Imaginary Country softens the edges just a little bit from Hecker's past work, at the heart of this album there remains an uneasiness with tranquility. Whenever it seems he's about to lapse too far into swirling tranquility, Hecker intensifies the pulse or deconstructs the beauty with a wash of distortion. Still there are some really beautiful moments that exist betweens waves of paranoia on this album; lost voices and looming strings. But even the most beautiful moments are tinged with an overwhelming sense of sadness that's as crushing as it is relieving. Hecker's work has always lent itself well to isolation and stillness and this album's release bodes well with the cold months ahead. Match this with a pair of headphones and the icy pinch of frost on the back of your neck.

1.28.2009

Kurt Vile Tour CD

Highly underrated RSTB fave Kurt Vile's playing a few shows solo and along with his band KV and the Vaporizers. Be sure to check him out if you're in the NY/Philly area or if you're headed down to SXSW. Vile's bringing with him this tour only CD, Overnight KV packed just as full of lo-fi drifter psych as last year's wonderful Constant Hitmaker. Reworking a few classics (a slowed down, midnight version of "Freeway") and some new tracks proliferate the CD. Some of the tracks may pop up on his upcoming Mexican Summer 12" and keep an eye out as the folks over at Woodist are reissuing Constant Hitmaker on vinyl. Which is probably some of the best news I've heard all week!

1.27.2009

Odyssey - Setting Forth... The sole album from this New York band had become in recent years one of the most sought after relics from the bygone psychedelic era. Having been released in an edition of 100 in 1969 and further complicating things by packaging it

in a blank white cover, it became almost lost forever. Existing in the crossroads between psych and prog, the album is marked by a heavy dose of organ on most tracks that ebbs and flows atop a wave of fuzzed guitar with blues inflected riffs. The band even delves into full on blues mode on "Denky's Boogie" but still has the ability to turn soft on a few ballads. However it's on the heavier, prog leaning tracks that the band really shines, though they never really let things get too cerebral. Playing from the hip as would befit any heavy album from '69. Definitely one that deserves the hype that's surrounded it and thankfully now back in print.

1.26.2009

Mi Ami

Comprised of ex-members of Black Eyes, Mi Ami have wrought an album of skittish paranoia littered with dub inflections, percussive post-punk throbs and experimental disco bass lines. Fulfilling the promises that were laid on their African Rhythms 12", Watersports is full of twisting, urgent tracks that pull and tug at the listener, while Daniel Martin-McCormick's vocals instill a sense of panic with their high pitched hysterics. The vocals may be the only thing that really pushes people away from the release. While they're a bit to get used to at first, once integrated into the whole of the album they become just another element in the band's arsenal. Truthfully, though it's the music bubbling underneath his wails that really makes Watersports shine. 2009 seems to be ushering a new era of dub experimentalism and I for one am wholeheartedly welcoming it.

1.23.2009

The geniuses over at Irish label Trensmat cooked up a great 7" collection that pulls together the likes of Acid Mothers Temple, White Hills, Bardo Pond, Mudhoney, Mugstar and Kinski all covering Hawkwind. With the covers of the series all being a different color variation on the Space Ritual cover this set is completely necessary to own in its entirety.

White Hills. White Hills hit up one of my favorites from the S/T Hawkwind album and take it cosmic in their rendition. On the flip, the Mothers, as expected, rip holes in the ozone via guitar grime and feedback energy. It's hard to have a favorite in this series, and I'll certainly reserve judgment till I cover them all but pick this one up while you still can.

The Julie Mittens

In the wake of their last U.S. tour, the Julie Mittens have brought forth two documents that give insight into the controlled chaos of their live shows. Two runs of 100 CD-rs on both the Dutch label Cut Hands and Brooklyn label Abandon Ship; each CD-r printed with a unique cover. This, the Abandon Ship version, documents the band on a night in Baltimore. The squelch and rumble hits like a battering ram to the chest and is only somewhat lessened by the ethereal vocals of B'more local Lexie Mountain on the second track. Lexie brings the ghost science to the Mittens' treatment of haunted feedback littered with drum skitter and a guitar smear. After which, the band launches into an even heavier frenzy that lays waste to the opener. Clearly, the band is at home on stage as its almost unthinkable how they've managed to ever tone down or translate the intensity of their live performances for conventional records. If nothing else they capture here the sense of immediacy and experimentalism that they were meant to convey.

1.22.2009

Adam Payne

Adam Payne unleashes his inner power pop spirit on his solo recordings, shedding much of what was left of his psychedelic past. This follows pretty succinctly on his last EP under the Residual Echoes name which was steeped heavily in garage rock rather than blown out fuzz and feedback. But Organ takes Payne's obvious love for 70's pop and 90's retreads of said pop even further than I'd have expected. Though he still stretches the time barrier further than his predecessors might, he's got a core that beats with the heart of pop. Laying some unlikely guitar solos over the top of catchy strums and upbeat swirls of keys; its the convergence/ battle of his past with his future that makes this such an endearing record. The most prevalent battle coming in the form of "Incidental Arrangement" which pits the newfound clean production angle against his lingering love of winding psychedelia into a J. Mascis indebted guitar séance, keeping its head above the psychedelic waters but definitely clutching to the raft of excess for guidance. Thumping with the kind of pit-of-the-stomach uneasy joy that makes adolescence such a strange and wonderful hell, Payne seems to have rolled his entire musical history into this record and that's what makes it so much fun.

1.21.2009

Stag Hare

Stag Hare ripples into the meditative psych territory with a heavy earthen smell rising out of every track on their second self-released album. Tones shimmer over the rhythmic chug of tribal percussion, fraught with chimes and more than a hint of campfire smoke. Though they ride quite easily through the free-folk valley, the din that sometimes finds its way into that genre at is kept at bay (see early Badgerlore); instead allowing the loose song-forms to take on dream-like qualities. As the band introduce vocals somehow shoegaze and forest folk careen into each other in a fevered hallucination that definitely begs to be repeated. Black Medicine Music is a strong second statement from this project, even garnering some mastering help from RSTB fave Adam Forkner whose work makes a good touchstone for where this release is rooted.

1.20.2009

Fapardokly - Fapardokly This "album" is often considered one of the great collectibles of lost 60's gems. Technically the band Fapardokly did not exist. Several early tracks were recorded as a side project of Merrell & the Exiles and released as a few singles on Glenn

records. These tracks were then picked up by the UIP label and added together with some later, more psychedelic work to make up the full Fapardokly album. Since it was never actually intended to be a full album the stylitic differences can be somewhat noticable but nonetheless the quality of the recordings is excellent. All tracks are enveloped in a light 60's production and the players move easily from ballads to swinging tracks and eventually into some mid 60's psychedelia. The latter shouldn't be too much of a surprise as group leader Merrell Fankhauser went on to form H.M.S. Bounty and the more revered MU shortly after these tracks were recorded. Even if no one would have been able to see Fapardokly as a real band at the time, this album itself is a wonderful snapshot of a transitory period in Fankhauser's career and well worth tracking down.

1.19.2009

Mike Bones

I have to admit that when I heard his first solo album I didn't pay much attention. I'd heard Bones' name bandied about in association as a hired gun on guitar for a while but the first album's attention to his voice and lack of emphasis on said guitar left me a little flat. However, life is about second chances and A Fool For Everyone seems to finally make good on promises that Mike's reputation held. Laying his fluid and amiable guitar here alongside fellow stringed luminary Matt Sweeney and a few other friends in high places (mems. of Antony and the Johnsons, Sian Alice Group, Jah Division and labelmate Douglas Armour) bolsters his weary troubadour musings to much better effect this time. It's that tempered balance of world worn drag and expressive (rather than flashy) playing that really befits Bones' new direction. Bones will probably still hit a few stone faced responses with this one and maybe he's still working his way up to his full potential; but given some time and played at jut the right point in a haggard, underappreciated day it strikes a well figured chord.

1.16.2009

On top of the re-issue of last year's Nobunny Loves You, it seems that the Bunny is on a roll with this killer 7" that cements his rank in the late garage resurgence.

Nobunny - Give It To Me 7"The A-side is pure Nobunny, mixing scrappy ramones garage-punk with a certain dose of 50's blue eyed soul, but its on the flip that he really shines. Sentiments like "Motorhead with Me" don't just fall on the tarmac every day and this garage-

popper is one of the hottest Nobunny tracks yet. Full of tight wound hand claps, a buzzing beat and the inspiration to pogo almost instantaneously every time this plays. Love it, and I definitely want more. Hit up Hozac for this one, and feel free to peruse the rest of the quality singles that are constantly flying out of the doors over there.

La Otracina

La Otracina, wasting no time between releases, have landed back at home on Holy Mountain with Blood Moon Riders. In true form the band continues its mastery of ethereal space rock, stretching billowy clouds of smoke over a terrain of formidably pummeling rock. The band, always a stunner live, has begun to seamlessly translate the expansive qualities of their work to the studio environment. Their ability to further the current generation of "prog" beyond mere nods to forefathers in the krautrock and psychedelic scenes is unparalleled, with the band folding elements of free-jazz, surf, and ambient music into their sound. Surprisingly this sees the band back off of their recent addition of vocals to their last CD-r, but as usual they are quite adept with an all instrumental arsenal. Thankfully Holy Mountain is putting this one down on vinyl, which only seems like a natural format for a band so deeply entrenched in layered sonics and prog revelry.

1.15.2009

Peaking Lights

Comprised of Aaron and Indra from Rah Dunes, Peaking Lights build hushed landscapes of noise and tone from a twisted tapestry of electronic pulses, controlled feedback, tape loops, organ, snyth, guitar, and vocal harmonies. On first listen the band's pop charm is lost under a subtle cacophony of wires, hiss, and lo-fidelity but spend some time with them alone in a dark room and the din begins to melt away to reveal more than their recording aesthetic would let on. This balance of fidelity and melody is the key to the band's sound, as if finding a 3rd generation cassette taped copy of Icelandic and Swedish pop crushed into the snow on the street corner. Once it was pristine and beautiful, but in its current form sonic alterations and limitations have made it into something other; something still beautiful but much more intriguing. The band will soon follow the Clearyvoiant cassette with a full length on Night People and from the sounds of things that will only serve to further the band's sonic vision.

The Rumble

If you're around the NYC area Wednesday Jan. 28th, come down to Fontana's where I'll be DJing between bands for The Rumble. Definitely come for The Depreciation Guild, whose 8-bit shoegaze is well worth the price of admission. Plus they hold among their ranks, Kurt from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

1.14.2009

The Hunches

Portland's lost sons, The Hunches give their farewell in the form of Exit Dreams and though the demise is reportedly final, the band hasn't lost a step. The album is torn between its grunge roots, noise exterior and pop soul; filling in the spaces that fall between the three and acting as a reminder that each are so dependent upon each other that it's useless to try to parse them out. The band isn't afraid to fully delve themselves into either side of their personality though, kicking out straightforward pop numbers immediately followed by a shot of atonal crust rumble. They're at their best however, when they find that ephemeral balance between the two, wrapping up catchy melodies in a batter of fuzz and chaos. While they certainly sound comfortable in their home of In The Red, Exit Dreams wouldn't feel all that out of place kicking up some dust on the Siltbreeze side of the street. It's too bad that it seems the Silt won't get a chance to make that happen, but the band have definitely left a defiant statement in the wake of their exit. Kicking out of their career with a perfect roar instead of even entertaining the thought of fading away.

1.13.2009

Children - Rebirth Children came about as the combination of members from The Stoics and The Argyles, both excellent garage bands in their own right. The bands each had a few singles out and members passed between them in a struggle for

dominance in the San Antonio music scene. It was The Argyles who eventually acquired singer Cassell Webb, first issuing a single as The Mind's Eye and then later crystallizing as Children. Their sole record came about as the band moved from Texas to California to record, originally with Mike Nesmith and then Davy Jones. Neither arrangement worked out but the band did gather for the sessions that wrought Rebirth. The results are a wonderful combination of both Texas and California psychedelia, rooted in touches of Baroque and West Coast guitar styles. The album was no stellar seller by any means but it did net them a deal to record a follow-up. This record was reportedly recorded but never actually pressed. After the release of a modest single, the band splintered to various facets of the Texas and California scenes. This however stands as one of the great overlooked gems of the 60's.

1.12.2009

The Weakends

Yet another record strengthens my faith in the French underground. It would seem that it's not just dance tracks that are making a resurgence that side of the pond, as deep in France's gutters there lie traces of garage, post-punk and lo-fi. Well Cheveu may have post-punk sewn up and Yussuf J's got the bedroom on lock but as for rest, it seems there's a new batch of Frenchmen propping open the garage door. The band kicked out a 7" on Atlanta based Rob's House a while back and now they've followed suit with a proper S/T full length on the House as well. With a heavy dose of swagger and twang, the tremolo set to full tilt and a just a bit of brackish charm; this album is easily contending with the garage assault that's landed stateside. As usual Rob's House seem to be a divining rod for excellent records, The Weakends being no exception as they bring the French stomp and rumble all the way through this one.

1.09.2009

Hot damn, these boys seem to get better and better with each new single that crawls its way out of the Florida swamps. That only leaves one burning question - when's the album coming? Whew, at least hit up the unfortunate souls who've missed out with a singles collection to round up these tracks!

Jacuzzi Boys - I Fought a Crocodile 7"Garage in the past decade has taken quite a few forms and there can be no doubt that the Jacuzzi Boys have spent some time breathing the exhaust fumes from that establishment. However, they've

fused the ruddy garage spirit with a lush sonic cloud right out of the Brian Jonestown suitcase and the more this sound begins to crystallize the better it gets. The A-side, much like the title track off of "Island Avenue", is a bona-fide classic and I'm not kidding 'bout that album, because if they can keep it at or near this level it's going to be a doozy.

Weird Owl

Though they've been kicking around the NY psych scene for some time now, it only seems fitting that Weird Owl should rise up on Tee Pee's thick black cloud of smoke. Their second album, Ever the Silver Cord be Loosed sees the band knee deep in a tug-of-war between 70's power and more progressive leanings. The band takes the helm of those still keeping the heavy psych flame alive around here and its no surprise to hear them whispered alongside names like Heavy Hands, Dead Meadow or even La Otracina. An uneasy bit of doom filters its way through every inch of EtSCbL; trading the crush of riffs with desolate psychedelic cliffs that make the band sound more at home in the expanse of the West than kicking through the streets of Brooklyn. Though who's to say that empty warehouses aren't the urban gulch and just as much desperation can run through city streets at the right time of night. Weird Owl's spirit journey kicks the dust off 4 a.m. empty streets, watching the moon's reflection off the Gowanus canal.

1.07.2009

Children's Hospital

I fear for the inhabitants of this children's hospital, their nights seem haunted with dark specters and the staff seems to have run ravage with the ether supply long ago. Alone Together alternates between a strange, dark pulse that aches itself into a twisted dance and more menacing impulses that scrape the underbelly of nihilistic punk. The album seems to be some sort of mesmerizing Lynchian noir journey in which lounge battered soul is just as at home on stage as dyspeptic alien rock. The group is an offshoot of the Intelligence/ A-Frames cult and bears some similarities, but what sets this apart from the rest of that set are the abundance of hauntingly dark female vocal led tracks. An absolutely essential release for the start of 2009.

1.06.2009

A new slice of the jukebox for a new year. Mostly focused on the garage (as usual) with a smattering of psych thrown in for good measure. Enjoy.

[MP3] Others - Oh YeahStarting things off on with a blues stomp on the garage floor. A gritty beat stutters out under a classic blues rumble. This is the early half of garage but it's definitely the kind that set the tone for many more to come; a ragged tale of love in a genre rife with heartbreak.

[MP3] Aorta - StrangeMixing a heavy dose of fuzz with some impassioned vocals, Aorta take off on the later 60's psych palate. Indulgent in many ways the song breaks into a pretty decent solo before riding back on waves of fuzz.

[MP3] The KareTakers - Have You Seen My BabyA pretty laid back slice of love turned wrong. This one rides a quasi-west coast vibe as pitched through the eyes of 60's garage. Mixing open tones with a blues vibe, the song got just enough swing to give it a bit of punch.

[MP3] Apollos Apache - Cry Me a LieUtilizing a heavy dose of organ mixed into a tale of love and desperation and a nice counterpoint of twangy strum; this is a pretty decent little number. Pretty straight forward but tipping the edge of the expansive wave of 60's garage-psych.

[MP3] The Avengers - Be a Cave ManWith a heavy snarl and a gritty beat, this represents some of the most misogynistic messaging in 60's garage. On the music side this kicks hard with a nice organ undercurrent and a few psych touches on the bridge, but with a dose of fun on the cave man yowl happening in the background.

1.05.2009

Psychic Ills

Still riding the mescaline vibe through slow country, Psychic Ills have followed Dins with a more expansive record; finding solace in the spaces between tones. While it finds plenty of footing in the same hazy dirge that propelled its predecessor, Mirror Eye anchors itself in quite a few tracks that rely heavily on the sun spotted murk of wavering tones fighting the pull of vocals that pass like Doppler effected memories through the skull. When the percussive rumble does kick in, it rattles off the walls in ominous precision; calling odes to invisible tribes. The band has truly mastered the high plains lysergic vision with this album, crystallizing the steps that were taken both on the previous album and earlier works. This one plays as an almost indivisible piece which has become quite the lost art these days.

1.02.2009

Still upholding his dedication to the spirit of rock n' roll Rick Froberg debuts Obits with some definite nods to his Hot Snakes/ DLJ past but a keen eye on the future.

Obits - One Cross Apiece 7"The A-side tempers the straight from the garage feeling that the band has evidenced live, but the b-side has it in tow with a rubbery guitar beat that proves that Forberg has just as much fury in him as his counterpart John Reis. This being just a small taste of

what's to come (what's coming of course is a full length on Sub Pop in '09) but a pretty good taste indeed; and the live tracks up on the band's myspace page also keep some pretty strong hope for a bit of fire to accompany said album.

Predator Vision

The flip personality to Matthew Mondanile's Ducktails persona is his work with Predator Vision. Eschewing the Duck's laid back beach vibe in favor of a propulsive thump and wide psychedelic spectrum, Predator Vision's two sidelong tracks both build into ecstatic guitar waves that feel like a dizzying storm’s blown in; ravaging and relentless. Featuring some help from Real Estate's Etienne Duguay and Ben Daly of Wavehead, the project is showing just as much promise as his alter ego. Both will turn up soon on Not Not Fun amongst other labels, making my shortlist of 2009 releases that are eagerly awaited around RSTB headquarters.

1.01.2009

No-Neck Blues Band

The Beast that is NNK has spawned another album and this time it may well be both their most harrowing and most concise document yet. The band holed up in their own Black Dirt Studios for only three days to crank out this thorny mix of twisted improv-psych but the result was an expansive record that bounces through the darkened corridors of human insanity. Moving from burdened, manic sexual ecstasy to unnerving calm with the precision that only a band of 15+ year veterans could pull off without sounding sloppy, the album elevates improvisational psychedelia to a new level. Feeling much like a sonic sculpture depicting the depths of madness, longing, perversion and lack of control in general; this is no mere collection of clattering chimes. The reverberated screams only serve to make the underlying languorous slide guitar sound more menacing. The twisted scrapes and electronic blips make headphone surveys of Clomeim feel as if your own brain may be degenerating or at least tearing slightly at the synapses. Definitely not one for late night solo listens unless perhaps you're riding the same bi-polar nightmare vibe yourself; but in the light of day this reveals itself to be No Neck's most impressive document.